Page 23 of Sold to the Highest Bidder
Nazalie tried to distract herself by watching TV, but no amount of late-night TV shows could distract her from the thoughts of him under the shower.
She felt the smile on her face before she ever realized she’d reacted. Thinking about Joshua made her happy. Wow. What an excellent and scary notion.
Quickly, she got dressed and went out to get the groceries. Rosa must be waiting for them. She wouldn't want to keep the sweet woman waiting.
Rosa was thrilled to see her, even though her son couldn't make it. They cooked together and chatted into the night. She told Nazalie several funny stories about Joshua's childhood. In a rational world, Dina and Rosa would get along ideally. Unlike her mother, Rosa wasn't a drunk. Nazalie knew that Rosa avoided the topic when it came to Joshua's father. Rosa seemed to clam up whenever he came up in the conversation. She understood the woman’s reluctance since she didn’t like speaking about her dad either.
For the past couple of weeks,Nazalie had been taking groceries to Rosa. Joshua didn't ask her to, Nazalie mostly did it because she liked hanging out with Rosa. She was a genuinely nice woman and fun to be around. Nazalie took groceries over every two days. They would cook together, watch shows together, and she would take leftovers back to the penthouse. That she had someone to talk to made her feel better. Even though she wasn't able to tell her much, like how they met, the companionship was pleasant.
If Rosa needed anything, she would call Nazalie and then Nazalie would run whatever errands Rosa needed.
She and Joshua's relationship had improved since they went to visit his mother. They started talking more. Their relationship was becoming more than some sexual attraction. Nazalie still wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
Nazalie got home late and exhausted. She had been cooking all day with Rosa. It was like running a restaurant. She had invited all her neighbors, who were all friendly, over for dinner. But it was stressful to satisfy their needs. When one of them asked for something, the other would ask for the same thing then change their minds. Nazalie had to make a lot of trips to the kitchen.
Rosa tried to help, but there was only so much she could do in her wheelchair. Nazalie thought it best for her to spend some time with her neighbors. Once she started talking to other people, it would be easier to get her to go outside.
Joshua was already waiting when she got home. He had ordered Caribbean food, Nazalie’s favorite. She wasn't sure if he knew that or it was a coincidence. Joshua had been waiting for her. He looked like he had been waiting for a while. Joshua had changed from his work clothes to simple sweatshirt and sweatpants. He looked like a sports magazine model. She swallowed.
"Hey," she whispered. Joshua hadn't noticed her come in. She had been standing in front of him for the past five minutes. He was worriedly fixated on his phone; his perfectly arched dark brows were contorted in a frown.
It must be serious. Nazalie hadn't seen Joshua express this much emotion. It was usually a blank face or a smirk.
Nazalie was putting some leftovers in the fridge. They didn't need them now as they had takeout. She put the food in the microwave and brought out some plates. Nazalie was waiting for Joshua to notice her.
"What's wrong?" she finally asked. Joshua hadn't even acknowledged her greeting.
"It's nothing."
"Come on… tell me. You look so upset; you should see yourself right now. Now tell me, what's wrong?"
Nazalie handed him a lollipop from her purse.
"What's this?" he asked, smiling.
"What does it look like?" She was licking another lollipop. Nazalie remembered that her mum used to say that sugar always made everything better. Well, except if you were diabetic.
"What's wrong, Josh?"
Nazalie wanted to know more about his life. She hoped it would help her figure out the puzzle that was Joshua.
"Well…" Joshua began sighing. “I made an investment a year ago that I thought would be profitable. It was, at the beginning. But this month, things started to take a turn for the worse. The company is going belly up. I have to sell my shares, and obviously, no one would buy them. Who would want to purchase the shares of a company that was about to crash? It's like boarding a sinking ship."
"Oh..." Nazalie didn’t know what to say, so she said the first thing that popped up. “Sometimes, things don't always work out the way we want them to. But that doesn't mean it won't change in the future. It's not the end of the world.” She placed a peck on his lips. “You'll be fine."
"I guess you're right," he said, slouching against the chair. “So, what did you and mum do all day? You look exhausted. Did you run the marathon?"
Nazalie laughed. She liked this side of Joshua, the one that made jokes and smiled teasingly. She was about to speak when the ding of the microwave sounded.
"Thank you for the food, by the way. It was thoughtful of you," she said, dishing it out into plates.
"You mentioned to my mum that you liked Chinese, so I thought I'd get some."
It was intentional. Nazalie had no idea he was even attentive that day. Nazalie was touched.
"So, there was a party of some sort at your mum's house." Nazalie hadn't realized how hungry she was till she took a bite. “She invited all her neighbours over. Everyone came except grumpy Ann, who lives below your mum's floor. She doesn't like Rosa. Ann claims Rosa is snobbish. I say, good riddance," she ended, waving her arms dramatically.
"You seem to have had fun.”
